Hubby just called after watching NBC Nightly News. They said that Russia's y2k problems are huge. Independent sources say that the cost will be at least 10 TIMES the 3 billion dollar estimate. They also said that their defense system computers could malfunction in a way that would indicate an incoming missile attack. Therefore, they would have no choice except to fire in their defense. (Of course!)

I said, "Honey, forget the shovel. Go rent that backhoe and start digging that nuke shelter!"

Tomorrow's news soundbite "Y2K-What the government wants you to do to prepare". Is that thunder I hear, or is it the stampede of sheeple? I have to tell ya that I am feeling very nervous about the general population "getting it" all at once.

-- Sharon in Texas (sking@drought-ridden.com), February 24, 1999

Answers

Sharon,

I seriously think that our federal government has created a monster in the American people. They have gotten brainwashing down to a fine art with the media. And they have sucked the will to question authority right out of human nature. But when the monster breaks loose and starts thinking for itself for a change then the creator is doomed to suffer his/her own follies. Sort of like when the brooms got started in Fantasia and the magician didn't have enough wisdom to make them stop.

me thinks the beast is awakening...

-- (Lancelot @ tavern link. com), February 24, 1999.

The special Congressinal Committee report in our local paper on the front page also shows that the American public is being warned more seriously.Anyone reading our Atlantic City Press today will have been told that even the government is telling us that we WILL be affected and there are incalculable economic repurcussions. I am sure there still will be the sugar coating of Industry Executives who will try to keep their stockholders in a state of blissful ignorance but I now see a trend of telling it like it is.Hooray for the Senate for a change.Hooray for Sen Bennett and Sen Dodd for urging action to wake the public up.

-- Dennis Chornomaz (Dchorno@aol.com), February 24, 1999.

Prediction for NBC's Shat the government wants you to do to prepare:

food and water for 72 hours, like preparing for a storm
DO NOT stockpile
DO NOT withdraw money from your bank

-- RUOK (RUOK@yeaiam.com), February 25, 1999.

Finally out of curiosity I decided to watch the national news last night and see if any covered the report by Dodd to the senate. Channel surfing from ABC to CBS to NBC showed that all 3 talking heads had a Y2k story last night. This was one of my indicators that the time had come for the education of the populace by the government about Y2k. Tom Brokaw's report was far better than Rather's & Jennings. I believe the next step by the TV media will be an ongoing Y2k news alert every evening with tidbit after tidbit of info until enough information is out there that the "masses" will finally get the whole picture. My next watershed mark of how bad it might be is this summer when the NRC makes a decision about which nuclear power plants stay online and which ones won't make it.

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), February 25, 1999.